It’s a Victory, So It’s Just Fine With the Lakers : Pro basketball: They do not dominate Sacramento, but they still win, 100-86, giving Dunleavy his first coaching victory.

Be it ever so humble, the Lakers triumphed for the first time this season and Mike Dunleavy’s coaching career. In so doing, they left the ranks of the winless, leaving behind them the Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic and Denver Nuggets.

What heights lie ahead? The .500 mark? Tune in Sunday when the Lakers play host to the New York Knicks.

However, for those hoping for piecemeal destruction of an opponent that hasn’t won at the Forum in 42 games over 16 years, it wasn’t forthcoming.

The Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings, 100-86, before 15,618 Friday night, but not before the visitors whittled a 17-point lead to 92-83 in the closing minutes.

Forget dominating, the Lakers were happy to settle for effective.

“I think,” said Dunleavy, looking pleased, “I’m not going to get shut out.”

Said Magic Johnson: “I was happy with the game. We wanted to get a win right now, no matter if it’s by one point. You want to get a win to go on from here. I was happy Vlade got 16 rebounds.”

For Vlade Divac, the 16 rebounds were a career high. He has 29 in two games as he rallies from his disappointing exhibition season.

“I have feeling for the game now,” Divac said. “Not like preseason. That was hard. Before those games, I was nervous because I play bad.”

The Kings began the night in, let’s say, a realistic frame of mind, with a 16-year drought in the Forum and an injured, rookie-studded roster.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Coach Dick Motta said. “I don’t have any big illusions.”

Since launching their latest rebuilding project, the Kings have parceled off Danny Ainge, Kenny Smith, Pervis Ellison, Vinny Del Negro and Harold Pressley. It isn’t known if the replacements are an improvement. For Ainge, for instance, they got Byron Irvin from Portland, then wound up trading Irvin for journeyman Steve Colter.

Wayman Tisdale is the senior King, having arrived in February, 1989. Ralph Sampson is second and he is thought to be parked on the bench until the Kings can deal him. Antoine Carr is the only other holdover from the end of last season and he’s hurt.

“I’ve got two forwards and four center,” Motta said before the game, glumly.

So one of the big guys will play forward?

“That’s easy to say,” Motta said.

The Lakers had problems of their own, namely shaking this overmatched crew.

They led, 23-19, after one quarter, fell behind, 26-25, in the second, led, 56-44, shortly before halftime and saw the Kings cut it to 60-57 shortly after halftime.

But a 7-0 Laker run opened it up, and when Sam Perkins made a three-point shot at the third-quarter buzzer, the Lakers were ahead, 78-66.

They were up by 17 early in the fourth quarter, even if it didn’t last.

On another night the Lakers might have worried about it but not this night in this season.

Instead, they called Dunleavy back into the locker room after the game and Johnson presented him with the game ball, autographed by them all.

A guy has to start somewhere.

Laker Notes

Despite Vlade Divac’s career rebounding night, it was still good news/bad news. Mike Dunleavy pulled him in the second quarter when Eric Leckner lit him up. Magic Johnson told Divac to shoot the ball after Divac turned it over trying to make a play. Divac should take a notebook out there because no one can remember as much he’s hearing. . . . Said Dunleavy later: “I didn’t say Vlade was perfect. I said he was pretty good.” . . . Johnson led the Lakers with 25 points and 13 assists. Told that Mychal Thompson is still predicting 60 wins, he said: “That’s Mychal.”

The Kings’ top No. 1 pick, Lionel Simmons, scored 15 points and despite being 6 foot 6, battled James Worthy in the low post all night. . . . Dick Motta, on Ralph Sampson’s status: “Same as always.” Is Sampson healthy? “He isn’t on injured reserve.” Sampson has played two minutes this season. . . . The last King victory here was Oct. 20, 1974 when the franchise was known as Kansas City-Omaha. Nate Archibald had 20 points and nine assists for the winners. Pat Riley led the losers with 30. Laker center Elmore Smith had five points.